Born to one of the numerous tribes that called the Great Expanse home, Adune grew up quickly and without much of a childhood. The lands, though beautiful, were fraught with dangers and inhabitants either learned or died young. There was a policy; that the children were to be raised not by the parents, but by the tribe as a whole. Individuals who showed promise would spend longer with those that could guide them, but as a whole everyone was a parent, sibling, or child to one another. Strange to outsiders and even other tribes that were met occasionally, but life as usual for Adune. With a larger community this would almost never have worked, but the tribe hadn’t grown in size by much since its creation.

Life with over a dozen ‘siblings’, and just as many ‘fathers’ and ‘mothers’ was hectic to say the least. They learned together at times, sometimes split up so their elders weren’t overwhelmed by the swarm of eager children, did their duties for the camp, and played under the watchful eyes of their guardians. Then when the day was done, they all crawled into various tents and slept on what they had learnt and did. Young as they were, there wasn’t too much that could be expected of them, but the adults were sure to drill the basics of survival into their children. Adune was one of the better learners despite being one of the younger in the latest generation; patience and an eye for detail weren’t traits most children, and even some adults had.

Given that, it wasn’t a surprise that he was selected to join the hunters for their outings when he was finally old enough to leave the safety of their camp. The tribe stayed put for the most part, only moving with the seasons and even then as a whole. Predators tried their luck against humans more often than not, and sadly enough won more often than not. Even without the living dangers, the open plains were not gentle. The harsh sands of Adamah were worse, but with the shade of trees being rare amongst the golden grass, the sun could claim lives just as easily as any creature’s claws or fangs. So it was with reason that Hunters, who often left for days on end and returned alive were well-respected, not only for their act of bringing fresh meat, but also for their remarkable skill. Generally only the most promising of children were brought along since the survival rate was already low enough, it didn’t need to compounded on.

He was proud as a child was when praised, after all he had only been one of the two chosen. His sibling that went with him alongside the three adults though… she was annoying. The two had been chosen because they were the most suitable, unspoken was that they were the best. And for siblings who had learnt almost everything, there was a competitive streak between Adune and Sylva. Learning to become a Hunter was another score to tally up between the two of them. Aside from the competition between the two of them, which was tempered by their teachers, the two’s time learning the nuances of hunting and surviving in the Great Expanse wasn’t especially noteworthy, except perhaps that they both managed to survive.

War came upon the world soon enough though with Malfear’s rise to power., and even a small tribe couldn’t escape its effects. The Kanite army tried their best to pull as many troops as they could to bolster their ranks as they marched for Ferros. If they failed, the tribes inhabiting the Great Expanse would be the first to suffer the consequences when Malfear sweeped over the land. Even the tribes had heard rumors and news of the gruesome battles and what was left in their wake. While the loss of one of their fledgling Hunters along with able-bodied men was substantial, there was little to be done. All they could do was say their goodbyes to family and hope for the best. For all the good that did…

While the war was eventually won, the battles that led to victory were horrific. Thousands died and Adune was just another casualty that fell to defend a land far from home. Had it been months since he had set out from the Great Expanse? How many battles had he participated in before one of the undead’s foul diseased arrows had driven the life from him? Questions he would seemingly never be able to get an answer to.

Unlike the others that fell alongside him though, death was just another beginning for him. Before he had even come to terms with all that had transpired, and still dazed from his arrival, Adune’s soul was hurled back to the material plane. Awareness returned to him at the remains of the battlefield where he had fallen, shortly after the Kanites and Ferronians had been pushed even further back. Only the most ruined of corpses remained, the others animated to become another undead in Malfear’s army. Without a choice, Adune scoured the battlefield for a suitable shell to inhabit before he stumbled upon the set that would hold him for many years.

For one reason or another, he recalled his life before he had died and been thrown back to this world, and it brought turmoil to his heart. Did he hate Malfear for the atrocities committed? Obviously. Did he want to lose this second chance at life, even if it was a pale imitation? That possibility troubled him to say the least. Though the combined armies had been pushed back, they were not beaten and Adune knew there was the chance he would be thrown back to hell at any time. The fear was not enough to drive him to fight for Malfear, he was not that insane, but he abandoned the fight to see to his own desires.

Evidently, his departure made little difference as Malfear’s armies were beaten back and the man himself pronounced dead. The first few years following his fall, Adune lived in fear of suddenly being ripped from this plane as remnants were hunted down. Yet slowly, as he wandered the land and saw to his tasks the fear began to fade. He had seen that his tribe had survived with little trouble, and a new generation was already being raised, and some of his ‘family’ had even returned home. Without ‘mortal’ needs, he was content to simply take in as much as he could before the necromancer’s eventual death ended him. It was selfish to simply leave any trace of activity alone to prolong his life, but Adune was not yet that selfish, not even after his years of travel through Casdora.

But with rumors surfacing of Malfear’s return, it seems the time for selfishness has ended.